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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24745048">Basically</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgyleMN/pseuds/ArgyleMN'>ArgyleMN</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bryce Lahela/Cassie Vanderfield - Canon Universe One Shots [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Open Heart (Visual Novels)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, F/M, Slice of Life, Teasing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:33:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,492</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24745048</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgyleMN/pseuds/ArgyleMN</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bryce checks up on Cassie with a little treat after a very big day. Set about 16 months after the end of Open Heart book 1.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bryce Lahela &amp; Jackie Varma, Bryce Lahela/Main Character (Open Heart), Jackie Varma &amp; Main Character (Open Heart)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bryce Lahela/Cassie Vanderfield - Canon Universe One Shots [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768597</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Basically</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>Bryce strode out of the main hospital, checking his phone for the time again. He should just make it. Glancing both ways, he darted across the street, not caring that he was jaywalking. Cars tended to stop for people running in scrubs. </p><p>As he entered the lobby of the Edenbrook administration building, he turned to his left and made his way to the coffee cart. Thankfully, the line was short, with only one older guy ahead of him. This location was usually pretty busy seeing as it had the best coffee on campus. It regrettably had taken Bryce all the way until September of his second year of residency to discover it and when he did, he felt like such an idiot. <em>Of course</em> the administration building would have the best coffee.</p><p>“Lahela, what are you doing over here? Did you get lost? The ORs are across the street.”</p><p>Bryce turned and saw Jackie standing in line behind him, wearing a button down shirt and dress slacks instead of her usual scrubs.</p><p>“Just tracking down the best coffee. Why are you so fancy and in the admin building? Have you been causing trouble?”</p><p>Jackie rolled her eyes. “Ines had an OB appointment, so I took the applicants on the tour today.”</p><p>“Shouldn’t they get someone more qualified? Like someone who is going to be chief resident next year?” Bryce teased, knowing it would get Jackie riled up. She didn’t disappoint, letting out a huge scoff as she shook her head.</p><p>“I <em>know </em>you know that I’m one of next year’s chiefs, Bryce.”</p><p>“I don’t know, Jackie. I might have forgotten since you’ve only mentioned it a couple times a week for about the past year,” Bryce said with a wink. He knew Jackie was proud of the fact she’d been named one of the chief residents, and he got that it was an honor, but it was just too much fun to resist poking the bear. Jackie opened her mouth, undoubtedly with some snappy retort, but quickly jerked her chin at him.</p><p>“Ah, just shut up and order your damn coffee.”</p><p>Bryce spun around and saw that the man ahead of him had indeed stepped to the side, waiting for his beverage. Bryce took a step up to the counter and placed his order.</p><p>“One tall pumpkin spice latte, thanks”</p><p>He heard a snort behind him, but he ignored it, joining the other customer off to the side as Jackie ordered her iced coffee. She was not ready to let it go, however.</p><p>“I didn’t realize you were rushing a sorority this year.”</p><p>Bryce just rolled his eyes, “Yup, hoping to pledge Delta Phi with my roommate,” he replied as he took the drink from the barista. “See you later, Varma,” he said with a little nod of the head before walking over to the bank of elevators and pushing the call button. He was still waiting for the elevator a few moments later when Jackie joined him once again.</p><p>“Seriously though, are you a 19 year old girl?” she asked before taking a sip from her straw.</p><p>“It’s not for me,” Bryce said with a little shake of his head as the two of the stepped onto the elevator.</p><p>Jackie stared at him with her eyebrows drawn together for just a second before realization flashed across her eyes and she let out a little scoff. “God, you two are just sickeningly cute, aren’t you. You know, I think I preferred it when you thought you were being sneaky and that we couldn’t <em>all </em>hear what you were up to through the walls intern year.”</p><p>“Nah, you don’t mean that.”</p><p>“I don’t know, at least then I didn’t have to endure this nauseating couple-y crap. Why’s she over here today, anyway? I thought she was on nights.”</p><p>“She had her fellowship interview here today. I thought I’d bring her a treat and see how it went since I’m carrying the trauma pager starting at 5 and probably won’t see her the rest of the night.”</p><p>“Like I said, disgustingly cute.”</p><p>Bryce just grinned at Jackie, gesturing to let her out first as the elevator dinged their arrival on the fifth floor.</p><p>“She seriously drinks pumpkin spice lattes?”</p><p>“She calls them her ‘guilty pleasure’ and I was forced to promise not to tease her about it.”</p><p>“And you agreed? Man, she has you whipped,” Jackie said as she elbowed him lightly, following him down the hall towards the diagnostics and internal med offices.</p><p>“Either that, or she agreed not to tease me about <em>my </em>guilty pleasure,” Bryce said with a wink.</p><p>“And what might- never mind, I’m guessing I don’t want to know.”</p><p>As they rounded the corner, they nearly collided with Cassie herself as she came down the hallway, brown leather bag in hand and wearing a crisp navy blue suit. Cassie let out a little yelp of surprise before she realized who it was.</p><p>“Easy there,” said Bryce, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder, “that could have been messy.”</p><p>Cassie instinctively smoothed her skirt as she spoke. “So, what brings you two over this way?”</p><p>“I was just heading to the med ed office after leading an applicant tour. <em>He’s</em> playing at doting boyfriend and checking up on you after your interview,” Jackie said, pointing her thumb over at Bryce and rolling her eyes.</p><p>Bryce shrugged and handed her the coffee in his hand, “I wanted to hear how it went before I’m tied to the trauma pager. Also, I figured since you skipped the coffee this morning out of nerves, you might be getting a caffeine headache.”</p><p>Cassie smiled warmly, squeezing his hand before taking a sip, her eyes lighting up when she tasted the pumpkin spice.</p><p>Jackie noticed her reaction instantly and scoffed, “<em>Seriously</em>, a pumpkin spice latte, Cassie? Are you really that much of a basic bitch?”</p><p>Cassie shrugged and raised her eyebrow at Jackie, taking another long sip of her latte. “I like what I like. You think liking pumpkin spice makes me a basic bitch, Bryce?”</p><p>“If it does, you’re <em>my </em>basic bitch,” Bryce replied with a wink, throwing an arm around her shoulder and giving her a squeeze.” Jackie grimaced and shook her head.</p><p>“Gross. Alright, I’ll see you two later. You coming to Donahue’s on Saturday?”</p><p>“We’ll be there,” said Cassie, waving as Jackie strode passed them into the med ed office on the left.</p><p>“So how did the interview go?” Bryce asked as they walked down the hallway back to the elevators.</p><p>Cassie glanced both ways down the hallway, trying to gauge if they were alone. “Let’s head back to the res lounge. I don’t want to talk about it here.”</p><p>Bryce turned to face her, wondering if something went wrong, but she didn’t look upset or anything, so he grabbed her hand and the two of them made their way out of the admin building and back to the hospital. Once they were in the res lounge, away from where attendings could hear them, Bryce asked her again.</p><p>“Hey, is everything okay?”</p><p>Cassie nodded as she pulled him down onto the couch. “I think so. My interview with Banerji was great, but I’m not sure how things went with Ramsey. I think it went alright, but he’s kind of hard to read, and he said some things that made me think he doesn’t want me to match here.”</p><p>“What kind of things?”</p><p>She shrugged, “Oh, you know. He made a comment about the importance of learning a variety of provider styles, of challenging oneself. It felt kind of loaded.” She took another sip before she continued, “What if I don’t match here, Bryce?”</p><p>Bryce shook his head, “Don’t worry about that, we’ll figure it out.”</p><p>“But you’re here for another four years. And I don’t want us to have to-”</p><p>Bryce cut her off with a quick kiss. “We’ll cross that bridge if we have to. And hey, maybe you’ll match somewhere else because you’ll find a diagnostics program you like better than Edenbrook.”</p><p>Cassie shook her head. “I have good reasons to stay here, Bryce.”</p><p>“Just keep an open mind when you’re interviewing, okay? Don’t sell your career short for me. We’re strong enough to handle long distance for a couple of years.”</p><p>Cassie smiled at him. “Hopefully I’m just over analyzing what Ramsey said.”</p><p>“Yeah, but it’ll be okay, no matter what happens. <em>We’ll</em> be okay.” Bryce checked the time on his phone. Damn, it was 4:53. “I gotta go grab the pager from Trini. Are you gonna be alright?”</p><p>She nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Like I said, it wasn’t a bad interview. That comment just made me worried. Go save lives.”</p><p>Bryce dropped a quick kiss on her cheek as he scrambled up and headed toward the lounge door. He was almost through it when Cassie called out, “Hey, Bryce?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Thanks for the coffee.”</p><p>“Anytime, Cassie.”</p><p> </p><p>
  
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